Chocolate extract, process of making, and uses thereof

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a chocolate extract and a process of making the extract. The process comprises mixing a chocolate source with a water miscible solution. The chocolate source and water miscible solution are at a temperature where the chocolate source is in a liquid state during mixing. The water miscible solution and the chocolate form a mixture of a water miscible phase, an oil phase, and a solid particle phase. The mixing allows the water miscible components to migrate into the water miscible phase. The mixture is separated to recover the water phase from the oil phase and the solid particle phase. This water miscible phase is the extract of chocolate.

1 . A process of making a chocolate extract, comprising:
 (a) mixing a chocolate source with a water miscible solution to form a mixture comprising a water miscible phase, an oil phase, and a solid particle phase, wherein the chocolate source is a conched chocolate; and   (b) recovering the water miscible phase, whereby the water miscible phase is the chocolate extract.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the chocolate source is selected from the group consisting of unconched chocolate liquor, conched chocolate liquor, semisweet chocolate, sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, baking chocolate, and flavored chocolate, and combinations thereof, and wherein the chocolate source is not cocoa powder or nibs. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the water miscible solution is comprised of water and ethyl alcohol, wherein the amount of ethyl alcohol comprises approximately 0 to 100% of the water miscible solution. 
     
     
         4 . A chocolate extract made by the process of  claim 1 , wherein the chocolate extract has polyphenols, has a chocolate smell and taste, and has a taste that is not bitter, sour, acrid, or astringent. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising: (c) freeze-drying the chocolate extract, whereby a powdered chocolate extract is recovered. 
     
     
         6 . A chocolate extract made by the process of  claim 1 , wherein the chocolate extract has less than approximately 1% residual cocoa solids, has less than approximately 1% residual non-polar cocoa lipids, and has one or more bioactive chemical species, wherein the bioactive chemical species are present in the chocolate extract as a result of the process of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising: (c) administering the chocolate extract orally to lower blood pressure, reduce back pain, reduce muscle spasms or pain, act as a vasodilator, increase color vision, reduce desire to drink alcohol, reducing desire to smoke cigarettes, or improving mood. 
     
     
         8 . A chocolate extract comprising: theobromine, epicatechin or catechin compounds, procyanidin compounds, and caffeine, wherein theobromine has a primary ion of approximately 181 m/z in an HPLC/MS spectrograph, wherein the picatechin or catechin compounds have a primary ion of approximately 291 m/z in the HPLC/MS spectrograph, wherein the procyanidin compounds have a primary ion of approximately 579 m/z in the HPLC/MS spectrograph, wherein caffeine has a primary ion of approximately 195 m/z in the HPLC/MS spectrograph, wherein the theobromine has a retention time of approximately 3.4 to 4.3 minutes and a peak intensity of approximately 1.5×10 6  (ion count) in an accompanying HPCL/MS spectrograph, wherein the epicatechin or catechin compounds have a retention time of approximately 13.5 to 14.3 minutes and, a peak intensity of approximately 4.5×10 5  (ion count) for a first peak and optionally have a second peak with a retention time of 7.8 to 8.3 minutes in the accompanying HPLC/MS spectrograph, wherein the procyanidin compounds have a retention time of approximately 10.7 to 11.7 minutes and a peak intensity of approximately 5×10 5  (ion count) for a first peak and optionally have a second peak with a retention time of 13.3 to 18.5 minutes and optionally have a third peak with a retention time of approximately 5.8 to 6.8 minutes and optionally have a fourth peak with a retention time of approximately 8.1 to 8.3 minutes in the accompanying HPCL/MS spectrograph, and wherein the caffeine has a retention time of approximately 10.7 to 11.7 minutes and a peak intensity of approximately 6×10 5  (ion count) in the accompanying HPCL/MS spectrograph.